Alright, here's the deal. I've got a 93 Toyota 4x4 with a 4 cyl engine, and 31/10.50 tires.

I drive a bit of highway miles everyday, but I also live in the country and the roads get bad out here in the winter. I also heat with wood, so I get off road a bit as well.

I'm looking for a tire that will do good in the mud and the snow, but will also won't be to rough of a ride on the highway. I know, an oxymoron. But I'm not looking for superswampers so I think I found a decent compromise.

What I'm looking at is Goodyear Wrangler AT/D's. I've have great luck with Goodyears before, and it seems that the tread on them are agressive, but not so much to be overboard. Anybody got some opinions on these? (was that long winded enough?)

good year wrangler mt's. they'll look super cool too. bfg mt's.ever though about swapping a diesel in your truck, you could prolly find one in a tlc. let's see a pic of your truck. is your truck stick or auto? i know a lot about 4x4's and trucks in general so feel free to ask.

OffRoad (<-- my name is a hint)

also, maybe think about locking differentials.
detroit or arb are the best, ever with less agressive tires, with all four tires pulling, you'll notice a big difference. all it takes with your stock truck  is to have the left front and right rear on slippery stuff and your stuck.

the #1 thing in four-wheeling is tires
the #2 thing is the ability to turn those tires
the rest of the truck builds itself

OffRoad

Offroad, no digicam, so unfortunately no pics. But like I said it's a 93. Blue, with roll bar and KC lights. It's stock so far, but plan on building it up a bit when funds allow. Had great luck with it so far, haven't got it stuck. I've had it off road in the mud, but not as deep as I'd like yet.

What is the difference between the AT's and the MT's anyway? How do you think the MT's would ride and handle on the highway? Am also wondering about how much a tire with too aggressive a tread would cause me to lose power with the 4 cyl.?

Goodrich has updated their Mud-Terrain T/A.  Take a look at those also.  I run All Terrain's with good luck.

ARB makes a good locker, but make SURE your connections are airtight!  Even just a tiny leak will not make the locker engage.

Hello,

Just thought I'd throw in my .02 here.  I am on my 5th Toyota 4X4.  I live in Illinois, and do the same type of driving as you.  I swear by the BFG All Terrain TA's.  They are excellent in the snow, do very well in the mud, and have excellent highway manners.  They also excel on wet pavement, and they last a long time and look great.  When I picked up my current truck, 1997 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 Extended Cab 4X4 with ALL options (including the electric locking rear axle), I drove straight to Tires Plus, and had the new BFG's put on.  I'm sure the Goodyears would work well for you too, but you should have a look at these.  Plus, you get a coupon with the tires that in the event you get stuck, you send the coupon and the tow bill in, and BFG will reimburse you up to, I believe, $50.00.  I haven't managed to get my truck stuck yet, but who else gives you this?  

Donnie Pridemore
SABLE CO.

An "MT" type tire has more open and aggressive tread pattern.  On highway you will get more noise than an "AT" type which is a compromise tread pattern.  Also there will be slightly less tire life with the "MT".  "MT" type tires also throw rocks badly and will chip paint.  

The idea is for the open aggressive tread to sling the mud out to allow for a fresh bite each time.  "AT" type tires will "pack up" with mud and lose traction.

Tread type will have no effect on engine power.  Tire size and axle gearing WILL have a major effect.  Unless you plan to change the axle gearing(major job)do not consider a tire size any larger than 10% more than what came on the truck.  Unless you like downshifting on hills that is...

Goodyear Wrangler AT/S for me.  I live in rural Illinois, and have to climb a steep icy driveway all winter.  I also commute 25 miles on I-74 everyday.
Can't find a better tire.

bfg all terrain, over 50,000 miles wear easy with my toyota 4x4.
willy

I've had good luck with Goodyears and BFG's but also have had great success with Bridgestone Desert Duallers and Dunlop Radial Rovers. The Bridgestones were factory on my `84 Toyota and when they wore out I replaced them with slightly larger Bridgestones.

First, I'd stick with the size you have.. 30X10.50X15 is pretty common, allowing you to get a replacement tire if you're away from home, with just the cash in your wallet..

As to a brand, that's a bit harder.. I used to sell tires. Goodyear has discontinued the Wrangler MT (Unwisely, in my opinion) for the newer MTR in your size.. It's very expensive, but is a good tire..
Their lower buck "Extra Grip" is a lesser tire on the highway, but superb on snow (Studdable) and off road conditions. I've seen a forest service vehicle that had to drive 30 miles to the shop with a 1/2" diameter bolt through the tire, with no air loss..

The BFG mahes a very good tire. Their current "KO" incarnation is just now rivalled by Goodyear's MTR..

Also, don't overlook the smaller label tires carried by independents. You won't get much warranty, or road hazard, but you save a bunch of money frequently.. One sold here in Arizona is labelled "Sport King", sold through Discount tire, and other retailers..

I work on some serious offroad vehicles, (Unimogs, and Steyr Pinzgauers) and we have found the cheap Sport Kings work great in the snow, and for rock crawling. Not much in the way of real mud,and a Pinzgauer is hard pressed to do 70MPH, so I cant comment on it's performance there..

Personally, I run 235X75X15LT Goodyear Extra Grips on my 81 Toyota.. They work fine..

Good luck!

Meplat

I agree with the Goodyear AT/S, I've got a 96 T100 and it drives great though all weather.

Well, I can wholeheartedly recommend BFGoodrich.

I just got a set of their new Mud-Terrain / km meats.  I'd guess that these are their answer for Goodyear's MTRs.

For all-around use, though, I'd definitely go with the BFG All-Terrains.  Excellent handling on and off-road (except in the gooey stuff).  Good on dirt, snow, ice, and pavement, wet or dry.  Excellent wear.  Should last 40-50,000 miles.  I've had 4 sets of these so far without any problems other than normal wear & tear.

Goodyears, on the other hand, just don't hold up to my liking.  Every set I've had have worn quickly and seem to take on every friggin' nail, screw, or thorn in the road.  

When I bought my '01 Dodge Ram, I traded in the Goodyears that came with it at 3300 miles for some BFGs.  I personally no longer trust any tire that American auto makers put on their trucks from the factory.

BFGs are expensive, but they're worth it.

I also recommend the BF Goodrich all-terrain TA KO's.  I have almost the exact same vehicle as you, only mine is a 1997 Tacoma extended cab.  I have been very pleased with my BF Goodriches.  They are much better than the Goodyear Wranglers I had on a Nissan Pathfinder.  I was always sliding on wet pavement and they only lasted about 25,000 miles.  

See if you can get a set of the new Parnelli Jones tires in the size you need.  PJ use to make tires many years ago and seemed to be very good, they have started making them again.

I just put a set of 36's on my Dodge 2500 V10, they have a very agressive tread and ride very quite on the highgway (compared to super swampers).  

just my .02

My new Tundra came with BFG Rugged Trail A/T's and I haven't had a problem in mud (haven't had a chance to try them in snow) and haven't had any problems with highway noise.

The only problem I've noticed is the tendancy to pull one direction if you hit any kind of difference in pavement height (running the same direction as in highway construction).  I know that's normal, but these do it worse than I think should be warranted.



SlackO

Well, slack, that could be anything from the tires to the alignment to the ball joints.  Don't know if Toyota has one, but that's also a symptom of a failing track-bar on Dodges.

Then again, different treads simply follow the grade of the road more than others.